As we approach Christmas, I wanted to share my thoughts and reflect on what has been a productive, transformative and challenging year at CITB.

CITB’s Vision 2020 programme gathered pace through 2018 and achieved all of the key milestones we had set out for this year. With the introduction of the Training Model, the new Grants Scheme, appointment of new Nation Councils and the beginning of our divestment programme, we are ensuring we target our expertise and British construction’s resources on doing fewer things better.

This year, our business plan aligned with the work of the CLC: we are standing shoulder to shoulder with the sector we support through a difficult year in political and economic terms. We are proud to say that in 2018, funding has started to work better with small and micro firms training more with the support of the Skills and Training fund.

Another successful funding commission this year has been Pathways into Construction. This launched so that larger firms, their supply chains and the third sector can reach and recruit more people in tough-to-find groups to ensure a high quality standard of workforce within the construction industry.

The Government’s Sector Deal on Construction was a massive win for the sector and alongside CSN and the crucial insight delivered for LEPs, our investment in evidence and insight is beginning to show valuable returns.

Go Construct has reached over a million people this year which is a real success for the visibility of the potential a career in construction offers. However, we still need to do more to attract, recruit and retain talent within the industry. That’s why we’re launching a single sector-wide careers campaign, which we want you to be a part of.

Our employer-focused Grow & Thrive campaign has been a real success and is growing every day. It is important that employers play their part in the development of their workforce, and we’re here to help and support them with this.

This year, we’ve developed more apprenticeship standards working in partnership with employers across the sector so that we get the training, and the quality, right first time, something we will continue to focus on in 2019 and beyond.

I also wanted to make a special note to the work British construction and CITB undertook following the collapse of Carillion at the start of the year. The rapid response and collaboration by our teams and the support of industry helped secure over 700 apprenticeships.

There is much more to come from us in 2019 delivering against our strategic priorities of Careers, Standards and Qualifications and Training, but right now I’d like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

At Langloch Farm in Lanark, a small town in bonny central Scotland, there’s a social enterprise that buzzes with positive energy.

CCI Scotland is a landscape construction contractor, where 100% of its profits go into their charitable arm, providing a foot in the door to people who want to work in construction, but aren’t quite ready for mainstream employment.

In the last financial year, CCI Scotland provided 5,000 hours of supported work placements to young people and adults who are affected by mental health issues, learning difficulties or who are socially disadvantaged. The placements range from three months to a year and teach soft skills, enabling learners to feel more confident and work-ready. Forty-three have since progressed to fulltime employment.

CCI Scotland was started in 2003 and was primarily a charity that was funded via grants. But by 2010, funding became harder to get due to cutbacks, so Dougie Smith – who has over 30 years’ experience in construction and is now CCI Scotland’s General Manager – was brought in to develop the commercial aspect.

“It was risky business, we were running month-to-month and the market space was limited. But we’re now a fully-fledged construction firm that provides landscape solutions for small and medium sized projects across Scotland. The business operations are purely for our charitable arm, to the benefit of our community.”

“We’ve applied for the CITB Skills and Training Fund and received over £9,000, which gave us an opportunity to really invest in the business by upskilling employees. After the cash injection from CITB, I pitched for three public contract frameworks and was successful, which means we potentially have four years’ worth of business to look forward to. As a result of upskilling and expanding our client base, we’ve doubled our number of staff in the last year.”

Cat McFarlane is the CITB Advisor who worked with Dougie throughout the process. “It’s one of the perks of my job being able to support companies like CCI Scotland. A lot of small firms don’t apply for CITB funding because they are nervous about the application process. But speaking to a local CITB advisor makes all the difference. We’re able to guide them each step of the way, from identifying what training would be most beneficial, filling in the application form to the liaising with the CITB Funding Team.”

Dougie added, “It’s really easy to apply for CITB’s Skills and Training Fund. The application is straight forward, we got quotes from three different companies in support of our business and our CITB Advisor was always at the end of the phone whenever I needed her.”

The Skills and Training Fund was set up to support small employers to deliver construction training. CITB-registered employers with up to 99 PAYE staff can apply for up to £10,000 every 12 months.

To download an application form or to find out more about different CITB Funding opportunities, please visit citb.co.uk/funding

CITB’s biggest-ever funding opportunity opens today, with a £5 million commission to help under-represented groups into the construction industry.

Pathways into Construction will help connect employers with people who traditionally don’t enter construction, including the unemployed, women of all ages and full time learners who study construction but struggle to join the industry.

From today, CITB will welcome funding applications from organisations that work with one or more of the following five groups and want to help them into construction:

Young people who are not in education, training or work, particularly where existing networks are already in place

The long-term unemployed

Service Leavers who left the military at least 12 months ago

Women wishing to join construction

Full-time learners (focused on CBE Diploma students)

The fund is a direct intervention by CITB following extensive research into critical training and employment issues in the sector. Research topics included routes into construction careers, work readiness, recruiting young people who are not in education, training or work, and pre-employment interventions, like work experience and gaining soft skills.

Stephen Cole, Head of Careers Strategy at CITB, says: “CITB’s new commission, Pathways into Construction opens up a huge opportunity for the industry. With Brexit on the horizon, the fund will widen employers’ pool of domestic talent, diversify the industry and increase opportunities for those on the margins of construction, improving social mobility.

“By working with organisations that specialise in reaching these groups, the fund will facilitate the creation of sustainable partnerships and help the industry reach new talent that’s previously been untapped.”

Mark Reynolds, CEO of Mace Group and Skills Lead for the Construction Leadership Council, says: “To ensure that we can keep building sustainably, it is vital that the construction sector has access to a broad and diverse range of talent. This new funding will have a huge impact, targeting people who traditionally don’t enter our industry. It will help to ensure that everyone can access high quality construction training and employers can find the right new people to deliver their projects and programmes.”

Thomas Graham, Chief Investment & Strategy Officer at The Careers & Enterprise Company, says: “We are delighted to be supporting this exciting and important opportunity for the construction sector. It closely aligns with our work and the opportunities The Careers & Enterprise Company are continuing to create for young people across the country to find out about the industry.”

]]>CITB appoints industry experts to Nation Councilshttp://www.aplussafetytraining.co.uk/news/citb-appoints-industry-experts-to-nation-councils/
Mon, 08 Oct 2018 09:24:03 +0000http://www.aplussafetytraining.co.uk/?post_type=aplus_article&p=2319Read more »]]>CITB today announced the new members of its Nation Councils for England, Scotland and Wales.

CITB Board Member Peter Lauener

The Councils will play a key role in helping to shape the future of construction across Great Britain and provide strategic advice to the Board to better meet industry’s skills needs. Their formation delivers on a significant call by industry and government for CITB’s governance to be more representative in last year’s Consensus consultation and the Government’s ITB Review.

Seamus Keogh, CEO of Clancy Docwra Ltd, Tony Elliott, Group HR Director of Robertson Group, and Leigh Hughes, Business Development & Social Value Director at Bouygues UK, took up their respective roles as Chair of the Nation Councils in England, Scotland and Wales in July.

They will now be joined by nine council members. Each Council represents a diverse cross-section of the industry with a presence for both SMEs and large contractors.The Councils will have their first meetings this autumn.The key functions of the Nations Council include:

Assisting the Board to accurately prioritise support for key issues affecting industry within the nations

Shaping and influencing CITB’s business plan to address industry opportunities, pressures and priorities

Informing CITB’s evidence

Making timely recommendations to the Board about skills issues within the nation that may affect delivery of the Business Plan.

Peter Lauener, Chair of CITB, said: “I’m really excited to see the breadth and depth of talent we have on our three Nation Councils. They will be a clear and strong voice for industry within CITB and will help us become a more relevant and responsive organisation.

“The Nation Councils’ input will be critical as we go forward to deliver the skills and training needs for our industry.”

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the Federation of Master Builders, said: “CITB has listened to the concerns of small and medium-sized employers and is upping SME representation on all of its key Boards and Councils, including the new Nation Councils. Construction SMEs make up 99 per cent of all construction businesses in the UK and so it is crucial that the CITB has small firms at the heart of its organisation.

“Given that skills and training are devolved issues, these Nation Councils are also vital to ensuring that the CITB’s work reflects the specific needs of employers in England, Scotland and Wales.”

Marie-Claude Hemming, Director of External Affairs at CECA, said: “CECA welcomes the appointment of the CITB’s new Council members, representing the construction industry across England, Scotland and Wales.

“The new intake brings to the table diversity across the group and the sectors in which they work in.

“CITB faces a series of challenges in the coming months, but will undoubtedly be supported by the new council as it works with industry and others to meet them.”

Sarah Garry, Skills Manager at Build UK, said:
“I’m pleased to see strong representation from Build UK members on CITB’s Nation Councils. This is an important step towards meeting our expectations that CITB will reform its governance. CITB must now make full use of the councils’ expertise so that the construction industry can recruit, train and retain the best talent where it is most needed.”

Nation Councils

England

Chair, Seamus Keogh

Diane Bourne – Eric Wright Civil Engineering & Group

Chris Carr – Carrr & Carr (Builders) Ltd

James Flannery – Cunard Construction Ltd

Andrew Harvey – Harvey Shopfitters Ltd

Chris Last – Kier Construction

Sharon Llewellyn – JPR Roofing and Flooring Ltd

Ged Simmonds – Mace

Rob Tansey – Barrett

Julie White – D-Drill (Masters Drillers) Ltd

Scotland

Chair, Tony Elliott

Jim Young – CHAP group

Richard Steedman – Cameron Drywall

Michael Smyth – Graham Construction

Mark Bramley – Pat Munro (Alness) Ltd

Zeshan Afzal –BAM construction

Craig Bruce – Pertbruce construction

Nicola Barclay – Homes for Scotland

Marion Forbes – MacTaggart and Mickel Homes Ltd

Appointment to be made

Wales

Chair, Leigh Hughes

Gareth Davies – Knox and Wells

Andrea Green – Costain

Jenny Hudson – GMJ Ltd

Simon Jehu – Jehu Group

Owain Jones – TRJ

Neal Stephens – Willmott Dixon

Paul Tedder – Atlantic Dwellings

Richard Owen – Jones Bros.

Appointment to be made

The Wales and Scotland Nation Councils are still recruiting one member each, with a focus on getting the right mix of skills and experience on each Council.

Hundreds of thousands of students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have today (23 August) been receiving their long-awaited GCSE results and will now be planning their next steps.

At CITB we love construction apprenticeships, so we’ve come up with a list of all the very best things about doing one.

1. You can earn while you learn

An apprenticeship is like any other job and while you won’t be earning the big bucks just yet, you’ll get a wage while developing your skills.

2. And you won’t rack up huge debts from student loans

Many university graduates complete their studies with tens of thousands of pounds in student loan debts which take years to pay off. An apprenticeship on the other hand is free for the person doing it, no matter what age you are.

3. You’ll get hands on, practical experience

If you undertake an apprenticeship, you’ll get real, tangible, on-the-job experience. So rather than sitting inside and listening to someone explain things, you’ll be out seeing them done first-hand and then be able to have a go yourself.

4. You also learn important life skills

Like confidence, time-keeping, decision-making, how to meet deadlines and even the importance of a good night’s sleep!

5. And you’ll already be in the industry when you complete your studies, giving you a head start along your career path

Many university leavers finish their studies without any job prospects or even knowing what they want to do. But once you’ve completed your construction apprenticeship you’ll have already worked in the industry for some time so you’ll have a good chance of staying on with your apprenticeship employer or have the networks and experience to get another job.

6. You mix with a wide range of people who you can learn from

Apprenticeships are great for getting you out there and meeting people you might not otherwise come into contact with. You’ll meet people from all walks of life and with a varied work experience who often make great advisors and mentors.

7. Variety

Many construction apprentices say that no two days are the same – on Monday you might be at college with your peers, Tuesdays could be spent on site and Wednesdays in the office.

8. You can take your skills anywhere

When you finish your construction apprenticeship you’ll have a skill set that you could use to work anywhere in the world, like the Welsh volunteer apprentices who helped build a new maternity unit in Uganda.

9. Or you can use them to help out at home

As a construction apprentice you can put your skills to good use within your community. Single mother Emma Louise MacKenzie learnt skills to decorate her own flat and secure a future for her and her young daughter. Emma is working towards setting up her own furniture upcycling business and hopes to inspire others in her situation to also consider a career in construction.

10. Compete at a national, or even international event

As a construction apprentice you’ll have the chance to enter into Skillbuild, where you’ll compete against other apprentices at the same level as you to be crowned the winner of your chosen trade. The winners of Skillbuild go on to represent the UK at the WorldSkills competition. Next year’s event will be held in Kazan, Russia.

11. Inspire others

If you love construction and you want to tell everyone just how great it is, you can become a construction ambassador and help inspire others.

12. You can start off as an apprentice and end up as the CEO

There’s a huge potential for career progression in construction. Like Sir Terry Morgan CBE, who started out as an engineering apprentice in a car parts factory in Wales and is now in charge of Europe’s largest civil engineering project. Oh the places you’ll go!

13. Leaving a legacy

As a construction worker you have the ability to build something that could last forever – a skyscraper or even a massive new railway like HS2. Not many other jobs can offer you the same!

14. There’s a job to suit every personality…

There’s more the construction than just diggers and steel toe boots. To find out what job would suit you, take the Go Construct personality quiz. You might be pleasantly surprised.

As part of the Vision 2020 programme of reform, CITB is divesting its cards schemes to other suitable providers, including the CPCS scheme.

CITB is pleased to share that NOCN has been selected as preferred bidder for the CPCS scheme.

If the sale progresses successfully, NOCN are proposing the creation of an independent subsidiary as part of their overall approach to the purchase and delivery of the CPCS scheme. The process now moves into a stage of due diligence and negotiations between CITB and NOCN.

CITB employees affected by these changes will be kept updated on what this means for them.

CITB remains the CPCS card scheme provider and the CPCS scheme will continue to operate as normal.

CITB is pleased to be able to update stakeholders on this important step.

CITB today announce the three new Nation Council Chairs – one each in England, Scotland and Wales. The Councils will play a crucial role in helping to determine the future of GB construction and provide strategic advice to meet our sector skill needs.

Seamus Keogh, CEO of Clancy Docwra Ltd, Tony Elliott, Group HR Director of Robertson Group and Leigh Hughes, Business Development & Social Value Director at Bouygues UK, take up their respective roles as Chair of the Nation Councils in England, Scotland and Wales this month.

The three will work with up to nine council members in each nation to form a key part of CITB’s new governance structure.

The newly created Nation Councils will have an important role in supporting the CITB Board in its strategic leadership, by providing insight into industry challenges across nations, regions and sectors and acting as a sounding board for Trustees.

As part of CITB’s new governance structure which has been created following the ITB review, the Nation Councils will advise the Board to identify and prioritise support for key issues affecting the construction industry across Great Britain.

Seamus Keogh began his career 34 years ago as a site engineer – now, as part of his role within the Clancy family owned business, he leads award-winning site skills training, ILM-accredited personal development programmes, apprentice and graduate schemes.

Tony Elliott brings 25 years of experience from people and skills development across various sectors including the Scottish construction industry.

Leigh Hughes holds a wide range of senior consultancy, government and board member roles within the construction industry in Wales, including Board Director of Constructing Excellence Wales and Chair of Cardiff Capital Region E&S Board.

Peter Lauener, Chair of the CITB Board, said: “I’m delighted we have been able to appoint three very experienced knowledgeable and highly capable industry executives as our Nation Council Chairs. I know that Tony, Seamus and Leigh are passionate about supporting skills and training within their own firms and the wider industry.

“CITB’s new Nation Councils will be a great asset to the Board, they will provide industry-led, nation-specific advice that will be invaluable as our programme of change develops.

“I look forward to working with our new Chairs to ensure we make The Future CITB Business Plan a reality and deliver a CITB that truly meets British construction’s needs now, and in the future.”

The Nation Chairs together with CITB Board Trustees are in the process of selecting for appointment Members for each Nation Council. Experienced and influential individuals from a wide range of construction backgrounds will be brought on board to ensure the entire industry has a platform from which to represent the views of SMEs, large employers and employer federations.

The newly appointed Nation Councils will provide insight into industry challenges, across nations, regions and sectors, acting as a sounding board for Trustees. The Nation Councils will capture and articulate to the CITB Board key issues affecting or likely to affect industry over the next three years and beyond.

Their key functions will include:

Assist the Board to accurately prioritise support for key issues affecting industry across the UK;

The date for leaving the European Union is fast approaching. And as the deadline nears,one thing, amidst all the political uncertainty and debate, is for sure – employers are finding it harder to recruit skilled construction workers.

Firms have told us there are fewer clients and they are investing less, and that supply chain costs and staff shortages are rising.

And crucially, almost half of employers say they expect it to get harder to recruit skilled staff in the near future, with more than half predicting some impact to their business if access to skilled migrant workers is restricted.

Migrants’ profile is changing

Our research also shows the number of migrant workers in construction growing – one in every seven workers is from outside the UK, up from one in every eight in 2015.

Their profile has changed too. Romanians have replaced Poles and Bulgarians as the largest national group working in the industry, up from just over a quarter in 2015 to two-thirds in 2017.

A twin-track strategy

Employers tell us they expect to increase their efforts on recruitment and training but few have firm plans. They say that ‘we’ll get through this’ just like they have in every other crisis, which shows how resilient construction is. But muddling through is not good enough when we already have skills gaps and our skills needs are growing.

We need a twin-track strategy, with industry working with government to agree how it can maintain access to the vital talent of migrant workers and growing its investment in the domestic workforce. With the shape of our future EU relationship unclear, we can only guess what the former will look like. But we can crack on with the second half of the task.

Anyone can come up with a half-decent shopping list on what to do, but this simply isn’t enough. We need to agree the key outcomes we want to achieve and the obstacles we will work through together to overcome.

Fortunately, the freshly-published Sector Deal gives us a good start. Its focus on boosting innovation and productivity with support for digital skills and offsite construction points to the future workforce we will need to attract and develop. Reading between the lines, we will be competing with many other industries to fill many of the new roles being created. So we need to get better at attracting and retaining the people we need. Changing how our potential future workforce sees us will help. But it’s also about competing head on with other industries on pay and the working environment. Paying Premier League salaries, while operating on Championship margins, won’t work. We must break out of the current cycle.

We must also break down the recruitment and retention challenge into commitments that can be delivered. For example small annual rises in apprenticeship starts, in the number of apprentices completing their course and going on to work in construction, and also getting more FE students to progress into a construction job gets us some way down the road. But we may also need to look at other options such as extending the working lives of older workers, attracting experienced workers with transferable skills from other industries and training up more of those out of work. None of them are easy, so we need to prioritise and agree on how we will take the chosen ones forward.

By this autumn, the government will tell us what Brexit really means. By then we need to be ready with our answers to the skills challenge it poses.

Diversity makes a difference. A more diverse workforce means there are a variety of perspectives which leads to better decision-making and an increase in productivity.

To meet our skills needs and build the homes, roads and hospitals Great Britain requires, we must widen the talent pool and stop fishing from half the pond. It’s clear that construction needs the skills, experience and expertise that women can bring to the industry.

We need to make positive steps to make construction more attractive to all.

A really great example of a step in the right direction is Tradeswomen into Maintenance, a CITB-funded project by Mears designed to increase the number of women in construction, specifically the repairs and maintenance sector.

The project has received excellent feedback from community partners and industry alike, winning three awards this year for inspiring change, improving diversity and promoting gender equality.

How does it work?

Tradeswomen into Maintenance offers careers events, Taster Days and work experience to all women but especially those living in social housing, encouraging them into the sector. The project has developed and disseminated information toolkits to encourage girls in school to consider construction careers. These include information about gender equality, the range of construction careers available and routes into the industry.

The initiative has also developed best practice guides and tools for other construction organisations looking to attract girls as they finish school. This includes legal guidance for procurers around equality and diversity, and a directory of employers in each region who have been vetted by the project.

What are the benefits?

CITB’s new business plan, Vision 2020 highlights outcomes we want to achieve for the industry, one of which is widening the talent pool and attracting more people into construction. To achieve this outcome, we are targeting our funding to projects that promote behaviours like collaboration, community engagement and evaluation. From our perspective Tradeswomen into Maintenance ticks all those boxes.

The project focuses on improving diversity in the construction industry by undertaking research to understand the challenges faced by women and employers in the sector. Using this research, the project works with communities and industry to develop measures to mitigate such challenges.

What can it do for me?

A crucial aspect of the CITB Funding Programme is that whenever a project finishes, we share its products with other construction firms. Tradeswomen into Maintenance is a sustainable model that can be transferred and embedded by other construction employers. All of the project resources developed are free and available to download so you can use them too for your business.

In the past our industry’s been guilty of not sharing best practice or lessons learned from particular initiatives, good or otherwise. If we’re going to solve all the ills of the construction industry, we need to follow this collaborative approach and work together to encourage diversity.

A multi-million pound fund to help tackle the construction skills shortage has been launched by the Skills Minister Anne Milton today (18 June).

With 158,000 new construction jobs expected to be created in the UK over the next five years, the £22 million Construction Skills Fund will bring training to construction sites – allowing learners to apply their knowledge in a real-world environment.

This will help meet the needs of employers and tackle the construction skills shortage, while also supporting those who want to join the industry, particularly adult learners.

The 18-month scheme is funded by the Department for Education and will be administered by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).

Skills Minister Anne Milton said: “For our economy to thrive we need everyone, regardless of their age or background, to be able to get the training and the skills they need to make the most of the opportunities that lie ahead.

“The Government has committed to building 300,000 new homes a year by the mid-2020s and we want to make sure that we are investing in the UK skills base to deliver this.”

A career in construction offers the chance for many people to establish and grow their own business.

On-site training will be hugely beneficial for employers and trainees, as it will help bridge the gap between training and working in the industry, meaning trainees are site-ready sooner.

Minister of State for Housing Dominic Raab said: “A construction workforce with new and innovative skills is essential to building a housing market fit for the future.

“We have already invested £1bn to develop modern approaches in the industry and the Construction Skills Fund will teach builders the skills they need to deliver 300,000 new homes a year by the mid-2020s.”

The fund forms a vital part of the Government’s modern Industrial Strategy – a long-term plan to build a Britain fit for the future by helping businesses create jobs in every part of the UK.

It underlines the Government’s commitment to improving education standards for everyone, so they can gain the skills they need to succeed and can secure good jobs.

The fund aims to support:

20 on-site training hubs in England

Work experience and placements for people working to join the industry

Entry pathways for those currently unemployed

Pathways for career switchers.

CITB is now calling on employers, housing associations and other interested bodies such as LEPs and local authorities to submit expressions of interest. These can be from both existing and prospective on-site learning hubs.

The funding will only support on-site training provision, and access to live construction projects is essential to qualify.

Steve Radley, Policy Director at CITB, said: “The Construction Skills Fund is a milestone scheme for the sector and provides a significant investment in skills and training. It will help attract new talent and bridge the gap between training and working in the industry.

“Having training on or near to major projects will reveal what an exciting sector this can be, while also putting new talent in the shop window.

“We want all interested organisations to submit Expressions of Interest that are innovative, collaborative and with training at their heart. We will support applicants through the process and provide expert guidance to apply to the fund.

“We are pleased to help deliver this major new project and we are confident that, with industry support, it can help meet construction’s skills needs now and in the future.”